Prison Sentence Handed Down For Suspected Bridgeport Drug Trafficker: Feds

BRIDGEPORT, CT — A 44-year-old Bridgeport man has been sentenced to three years in federal prison for his role in a southwestern Connecticut drug trafficking operation, U.S. Attorney David X. Sullivan announced.

Benjamin Dozier, also known as "Ace" and "Blanco," was sentenced June 26 by U.S. District Judge Michael P. Shea in Hartford to 36 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for trafficking narcotics.

According to court documents and statements made in court, the Drug Enforcement Administration's Bridgeport High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force and the Stamford Police Department identified Rodney Canada as the leader of a drug trafficking organization that distributed fentanyl, heroin, cocaine and crack cocaine in Stamford and elsewhere in southwestern Connecticut.

Federal prosecutors said a 2024 investigation that included court-authorized wiretaps and controlled narcotics purchases found that Canada and others directed street-level drug distribution through members of the conspiracy. Investigators intercepted more than 5,000 text messages and phone calls related to the operation.

According to prosecutors, investigators identified Dozier as a fentanyl supplier to Canada.

Dozier, Canada and other members of the conspiracy were arrested May 14, 2024. Authorities also executed court-authorized searches at locations in Stamford, Norwalk, Bridgeport and Darien, where they seized about 3 kilograms of cocaine, nearly 400 grams of raw fentanyl, more than 500 bags of fentanyl, five firearms, a bulletproof vest and seven vehicles.

A subsequent search of a storage unit rented by Dozier uncovered a loaded Taurus 9mm handgun, drug-packaging materials and ledgers documenting drug trafficking activity, according to prosecutors.

Federal prosecutors said Dozier's criminal history includes felony convictions for narcotics distribution and weapons possession offenses.

Dozier pleaded guilty Dec. 30, 2025, to unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon.

He is currently free on a $150,000 bond and is scheduled to report to prison Sept. 9.

Canada pleaded guilty and was sentenced Dec. 15, 2025, to 110 months in prison.

The investigation was conducted by the DEA's Bridgeport High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force, the Stamford Police Department, the Bridgeport Police Department and the U.S. Marshals Service, with assistance from the FBI, Connecticut State Police, and the Norwalk, Danbury and Darien police departments.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Patricia Stolfi Collins and Geoffrey M. Stone are prosecuting the case.